Why I Swear by Picture Prompts for Teaching Literature (And How to Use Them)

For TeachersTeaching ResourcesLiterature & TextsCreative WritingTeaching Tips & Tricks

11 Aug

If you’ve ever opened a literature lesson to the sound of silence — that painful silence where nobody wants to guess what a poem might be about —picture prompts are the cure.

They pull students in instantly. They get them guessing, imagining, debating. And when you tie those prompts to the text you’re about to teach, you’re suddenly teaching language through literature in a way that feels fresh, not forced.

There’s something about a visual that flips the switch from passive reader to active thinker. It’s why I will always love my shoe lesson, and why my writing boxes always include a tactile object or striking image. The creative spark catches faster when students have something concrete in front of them - and it sticks.

How I Use Picture Prompts with Literature

I usually bring them in at one of two points:

◆ Before we start a text – We might look at an image and ask, “What do you think this short story is about?” or “What might this poem explore?” It’s a low-pressure way to get students thinking about themes, tone, and atmosphere before they’ve even read the first line.

◆ After we’ve read – This is where I like to set a creative piece inspired by the text. Maybe it’s imagining the moment just before the story starts, or writing from another character’s perspective. It gets them approaching the text from a fresh angle, and the depth of analysis that follows is so much better because they’ve lived in that world creatively first.

Of course, the reality is that I still have to follow it with an analytical task (paragraph or essay), which is less fun, but necessary. The difference is, students tackle that analysis with more insight after a creative warm-up.

Why I Rate Them

One of the reasons I use picture prompts is their flexibility.

They’re brilliant for:
◆ Literature study – Linking prompts directly to set texts
◆ Creative writing units – Standalones that slot neatly into schemes of work
◆ Language skills – I’ve even used them in A Level Language classes when students were struggling with descriptive writing

And you can go big with them - from a moody single image projected on the board to a printed set that students can handle, swap, and choose from.

My Advice If You’re New to Picture Prompts

Like everything in teaching, try it, and see if it gels with your learners. You might find they take to it instantly, or that it needs a few tweaks before it clicks. But when it works, it’s one of those strategies that feels worth the time every single lesson.